Racheli Levy-Smith is an American lacrosse player and coach who represented Israel at the 2026 Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in Tokyo. A former standout defender at the College of the Holy Cross, she established school records, earned national recognition, and helped Israel claim its first bronze medal at the women’s world championship.
In July 2026, she joined the University of Colorado women’s lacrosse programme as an assistant coach, shortly before representing Israel at the World Championship in Tokyo.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Racheli Levy-Smith |
| Hometown | Margate, New Jersey, USA |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross |
| College degree | Psychology |
| Playing position | Defender and draw specialist |
| College record | 475 career draw controls |
| International team | Israel women’s national lacrosse team |
| Coaching role | Assistant coach, University of Colorado |
Who Is Racheli Levy-Smith in Women’s Lacrosse?
Racheli Levy-Smith is a former NCAA Division I lacrosse player best known for her defensive performances at Holy Cross and her involvement with Israel’s national team. She competed for Holy Cross from 2022 to 2026, finishing as the women’s lacrosse programme’s all-time leader with 475 career draw controls.
In 2026, Levy-Smith received the Patriot League’s highest defensive award. USA Lacrosse and the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) also placed her on their respective All-America Third Teams.
Internationally, she represented Israel at European and world-level competitions. Her most significant senior international achievement came in August 2026, when Israel secured bronze at the Women’s World Lacrosse Championship.
Levy-Smith subsequently continued her involvement in the sport through collegiate coaching, joining Colorado’s women’s lacrosse staff in 2026.
Racheli Levy-Smith’s Early Lacrosse Years and College Development
Levy-Smith is from Margate, New Jersey, and attended Ocean City High School, where she competed in lacrosse under coach Lesley Graham.
Her high school performances earned her two All-Cape Atlantic League First Team selections and All-South Jersey Second Team recognition. Beyond lacrosse, her school athletics background included time on the field hockey and basketball teams.
In 2022, she began her collegiate lacrosse career at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Although she initially played midfield, her responsibilities changed during her time at the university. By the 2024 season, she had become a primary draw-taker and was developing as a defender.
Speaking with Holy Cross Athletics in June 2024, Levy-Smith reflected on learning the demands of defence after previously playing in midfield. She described the change as an important part of her development and credited the university’s coaching staff and athletic facilities with supporting her progress.
Alongside her sporting commitments, she studied psychology and graduated in 2026. In a June 2026 interview with the Jewish Journal, she also discussed a neuroscience minor and her interest in studying human behaviour.
How Levy-Smith Set Holy Cross Draw-Control Records
One of Levy-Smith’s defining collegiate achievements was her performance in the draw circle.
In lacrosse, a draw control is recorded when a player gains possession following a draw, making it an important measure of a team’s ability to secure possession.
During the 2025 season, she registered 171 draw controls, establishing a Holy Cross single-season record.
She improved that record in 2026, recording 191 draw controls across 17 appearances. Her final season also included 41 caused turnovers and 41 ground balls.
Her four seasons at Holy Cross produced the following career totals:
- 475 career draw controls, a Holy Cross school record.
- 111 career ground balls.
- 88 career caused turnovers.
- 61 collegiate appearances.
Her defensive performances received conference recognition in April 2026, when she was named Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year.
She also earned six Defensive Player of the Week awards during the season, matching the conference’s single-season record. Five of those selections came consecutively, establishing another conference record.
National recognition followed in May. USA Lacrosse and the IWLCA both selected her as a third-team All-American. She additionally received Inside Lacrosse honourable mention recognition and other regional honours.
Her 2026 honours followed the positional changes she had discussed in her June 2024 Holy Cross interview.
Her International Lacrosse Journey With Israel
Levy-Smith’s involvement with Israel Lacrosse began before her most prominent collegiate achievements.
In her June 2024 Holy Cross interview, she explained that her mother was born and raised in Israel. That family connection helped introduce her to the country’s lacrosse programme and contributed to her motivation to represent Israel internationally.
She also described spending approximately a month in Israel before beginning college, participating in lacrosse activities and helping teach the sport to children in different communities.
Her international playing record includes two significant competitions in 2024.
At the Women’s European Lacrosse Championship in Portugal, she represented Israel in seven matches, recording five goals and three assists.
Later that year, she competed at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s Under-20 Championship in Hong Kong.
Across six appearances, she registered 15 goals, three assists, eight ground balls and 72 draw controls. Israel finished the tournament in 13th place.
Her involvement extended beyond international matches. The Israel Lacrosse Association named her a recipient of its 2024 Mort and Judy Beroza Woman of the Year Award, recognising her contributions to the organisation and its lacrosse development activities.
In a statement published by the association, Levy-Smith acknowledged the support of teammates, coaches and family members. She also expressed hopes that lacrosse would continue bringing communities together through participation and inclusion.
Levy-Smith’s Role in Israel’s Historic 2026 World Bronze
Levy-Smith returned to international competition at the 2026 Women’s World Lacrosse Championship, held in Tokyo from 24 July to 2 August.
Representing Israel, she participated in all six of the team’s matches and emerged as the tournament leader in draw controls.
She finished the championship with 63 draw controls, recording an individual draw-winning rate of approximately 57%. She also contributed five ground balls.
Israel progressed to the bronze-medal match against the Haudenosaunee on 2 August 2026.
In that encounter, Israel secured a 7–4 victory, earning its first medal at the Women’s World Lacrosse Championship.
The result represented a historic achievement for the Israeli women’s programme, while Levy-Smith’s individual statistics attracted recognition from the international governing body.
Following the championship, World Lacrosse selected her as a defender on its ten-player 2026 World Team.
Her international record therefore included both a team medal and an individual tournament distinction, following her earlier participation in the 2024 European and Under-20 championships.
Her Move From Holy Cross to Colorado Lacrosse Coaching
Levy-Smith completed her Holy Cross playing career in 2026, graduating with a psychology degree after four collegiate seasons.
During a June 2026 conversation published by the Jewish Journal, Levy-Smith spoke about the professional options she was considering after completing her studies at Holy Cross.
Her interests included clinical research, further education, and lacrosse coaching. She spoke about psychology and neuroscience as academic subjects that interested her beyond competition.
On 22 July 2026, the University of Colorado announced her appointment as an assistant coach for its women’s lacrosse programme.
Colorado’s women’s lacrosse programme also produced Lily Assini, who completed her collegiate career in 2026 before joining the Women’s Lacrosse League.
Head coach Ann Elliott Whidden confirmed her addition to the Buffaloes coaching staff, bringing Levy-Smith into an NCAA Division I coaching environment.
The announcement came before the 2026 World Championship in Tokyo, meaning she had already secured her collegiate coaching position when Israel went on to win bronze.
Her earlier involvement in youth lacrosse instruction through Israel Lacrosse provides additional context for her move into coaching. By October 2026, Colorado’s official directory continued to list her as an assistant coach.